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Animal cruelty case under investigation

LAKE CITY - The Elk County Humane Society reports investigating an act of animal cruelty that occurred on Wednesday, Oct. 19, in Lake City, Spring Creek Township, Elk County, when a male brindle-colored pit bull dog was discovered shot in the shoulder at close range with a shotgun. The dog was found on private property in the Lake City area with a large wound in his right shoulder. Elk County Humane Society Police Officer JoAnne Smith said the dog was found alive; however, after being examined by a veterinarian and using X-rays to determine the extent of the injuries sustained, it was decided that a humane euthanization was the best course of action. "For someone to intentionally harm an animal and cause this much suffering is inconceivable to me," Smith said. "This injury did not happen on Wednesday. Due to the swelling in the leg and the amount of infection present, this incident most likely occurred sometime over the weekend. This animal suffered immensely."According to Smith, the wound appears to be between 2-3 days old. Smith added that in Pennsylvania, while it is legal to shoot an animal to destroy it, this was not the situation in this case. She emphasized that if an owner is attempting to destroy their animal for humane reasons, they are advised to shoot it in the head.